


Learn To Fly

by PhenixFleur



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Human!Bill, M/M, Magic Lessons, Maybe - Freeform, Older!Dipper, This is not how you teach someone to do something, kinda established relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-03
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-03-05 03:35:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3104018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhenixFleur/pseuds/PhenixFleur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bill instructs Dipper in the fine art of levitation. As expected, he goes about it like a sociopath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Learn To Fly

**Author's Note:**

> Couldn’t sleep and sick, so this happened. Maybe Sentiment continuity? I don’t know. older!Dipper, about sixteen, human!Bill is physically a couple of years older than that.

As much as he loved his family (and its extensions) and the zany antics that surrounded the Mystery Shack, there were some times when Dipper craved solitude and silence, if only briefly. While ordinarily he'd have made some excuse to slip off into the woods trailing after some paranormal phenomenon or the other, sometimes he preferred to simply climb up on the roof for a few hours of reading with the breeze ruffling his hair and carrying the earthy scent of evergreens. 

Today was one of those days. 

The sun had briefly concealed itself behind a bank of clouds, draping the teen in shadows, and he sighed with contentment while flipping idly through his now, after a couple of years, beloved journal. It wasn't anything he hadn't read before, but now the book was riddled with Post-It notes containing his own findings -- and in a place like Gravity Falls where something ridiculous happened nearly everyday, there were enough addendums to create an additional journal of his own efforts. 

He should have known that his moment of peace wouldn't last for long; as usual, an interruption cropped up after only half an hour of enjoying his own company. 

"Hello, Pine Tree." 

Given the frequency with which this particular visitor popped in and out of his life, Dipper should have been used to their sudden appearance, generally either directly behind him or, in some cases, on top of him. Somehow he wasn't; the greeting startled him, causing him to fumble the book he was holding and sending it over the edge. "Oh shit!"

The journal paused in its trajectory, hovering in mid-air in front of his face - and shifting out of his reach as he made a grab for it. Dipper groaned, glancing over his shoulder at his guest with irritation. "Don't you ever get tired of that?"

"Never." The slightly older man seated behind him grinned, showing off a mouthful of pristine, disturbingly sharp teeth. Although he knew good and well that Bill was relatively harmless (at least to  _him_ ), it always sent an involuntary shudder coursing through Dipper's body. 

He had yet to actually discern whether it was the  _good_  kind of shudder or not.

"You are a sociopath." Dipper finally managed to snatch the journal from the demon's magical grip, inspecting it to make sure none of his notes had been knocked loose. 

Bill made no attempt to deny the charge. "And you're irresistible when you're afraid." 

Anyone else would have done the sensible thing and made a beeline for the window. Dipper rolled his eyes and seated himself beside him, closing the journal and letting it fall into his lap while resting his head against Bill's shoulder. "Thanks, I guess? I'm really not sure how to take that."

"It's a compliment, of course." A black gloved hand lifted his chin, making it impossible to avoid staring up into the dream demon's odd golden eye (the other perpetually hidden behind an an eyepatch). "You know how highly I think of you." 

Another shudder. Yeah, it was the good kind.

Forcibly tearing his gaze away from Bill with quite a bit of difficulty, Dipper looked down at his journal. "Hey...how do you do that, anyway?"

"Do what?"

"Levitation." Despite choosing to take human form in all of their interactions, more often than not Bill failed to keep his feet on the ground like a normal person, ignoring Dipper's suggestion that he at least  _try_  to act like one around other people who weren't aware of what he was. "Is it a regular spell, or just a thing you can do?"

The demon hummed thoughtfully, pausing for a moment before responding. "Why the sudden interest?"

Dipper shifted into a more comfortable position. "I was just wondering.." His voice took on an otherworldly echo, words bubbling up out of him without his consent. "...and trying to figure out which of your powers are limited to the Mindscape and which aren't." The teenager flinched, pressing his fingers against his throat reflexively. "I really wish you wouldn't do that," he sighed, voice having returned to its normal state. 

"I appreciate honesty, Pine Tree." 

Dipper had to laugh at that one. " _You_  appreciate honesty?"

Bill shrugged. "It's a novelty. Although with what I've given you it shouldn't be too much to ask." 

Dipper had to concede to this statement. Thanks to the dream demon's influence (and their _link_ , now safely stabilized) he had a touch of magic of his own. It still tired him out to use it, and it took the form of minor effects, a sort of advanced prestidigitation that sometimes took a few minutes of concentration to kick in. Even still, it was overwhelmingly cool, and the only limits to his progress were the strain on his mental and physical energy. He was only human, after all. 

"I can teach you, you know." 

Dipper looked back up at him, skeptically. "Levitation?" 

"Yes." A single wink, and Dipper found himself staring up at Bill once more, now hovering slightly above him. "Well, this kind. Individual objects are far beyond your current experience level."

The brief trill of excitement he felt faded almost instantly as Dipper remembered how clumsy his efforts were. It was one thing to fail to heal a minor scratch. He could actually hurt himself screwing  _this_  up. "Um...I don't know..."

"Pine Tree." The dream demon's gaze locked with his own; the iris of his one visible eye had narrowed into a familiar thin slit, and that grin, those  _teeth_ , a direct contradiction to the soft blonde locks and dapper appearance that disguised his true nature. "You've been granted a gift. Don't let it go to waste."

This time Dipper failed to look away, a slight flush coloring his cheeks. "What do I have to do?" He asked, resigned. 

Bill clapped his gloved hands with enthusiasm. "That's the spirit! You're gonna love this."

Dipper wasn't sure about that. 

He inhaled sharply, his flush deepening when the demon reappeared behind him, wrapping his arms around his midsection and pulling him close. "Are you ready?" The words were whispered against his ear, making Dipper tremble. 

"I...I guess?" 

"Good."

The teenager felt an unpleasant twist in his stomach, the color rapidly draining from the world around him and fading to white. The process took but a second, but to Dipper it always felt much longer. 

When he opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by open air. A quick glance down revealed that he was far, far above the deep green sea of trees below.

He was too scared to scream. 

Dipper hissed sharply, clinging to the warm body holding him in a way that would have been pleasant if he wasn't staring death in the face. "What are you doing?" he choked out, squeezing his eyes shut. 

The note of glee in the demon's voice only further unnerved him, making Dipper wonder if he was safer with him or hurtling towards the ground. "Giving you a hand. Fear is the best instructor. Pain too, but that's another lesson."

The words were not reassuring in the least. Dipper's voice shook. "I don't want to do this anymore." 

"Too late!" Bill said cheerfully. "We're already up here. There's only one way down." 

Dipper's eyes crept open, beginning to burn with unshed tears. He was too terrified to even consider giving it a shot. "Please put me down," the request somewhere between a whimper and a half-sob. 

One of the arms wrapped around his back shifted, cool leather pressed against his lips. "Shhh, Pine Tree. Don't be afraid." 

Dipper allowed himself to look up, at the expression of what he supposed was genuine fondness (with just the hint of insanity) on the man's face. It was at least somewhat comforting. "You know I'd catch you if you failed to catch  yourself. But I trust you won't disappoint me, will you?"

The teenager shook his head no, sniffling. 

Satisfied with his answer, Bill began to speak in an authoritative tone, all traces of flirtation forgotten. "Levitation is a natural magical ability, not a spell.  _Technically_ you're forcing the laws of physics around you to bend to your will but those are minor details. All you really need to do is concentrate on avoiding the ground."

Dipper looked down again, taking a deep breath. It was  _so_  far down; he wasn't sure he could achieve the clarity needed to reach out for the vestiges of magic in himself. "I...Bill, I don't think I can."

"You will," the demon said firmly, smiling at him. "Now."

The scream he was too distracted to let out before tore itself out of him as Bill released his grip; suddenly the trees were so much closer, the air rushing past him and roaring in his ears, and  _I'm going to die I'm going to die I'm going to die_  running through his head like a mantra. The panic set in, and he flailed clumsily, hoping to slow his descent somehow. 

**Come on, Pine Tree. Focus.**

The words slid into his head out of nowhere, pushing against the thoughts of impending death.  _Focus. I can do this._

He recalled his initial attempts to slow down, forcing himself to concentrate on the air around him. _Slow. Slow is good._ He felt his head lighten, the familiar euphoria of using magic beginning to creep into his consciousness.  _Slow._  

The tops of the trees below him were indeed approaching at a much slower pace, although he was still falling. The fact that his efforts were working made it much easier to concentrate on keeping it going. By the time he reached the tree line his speed had decreased enough to allow him to slip past the branches, now floating gently towards the ground with his heart hammering in his chest and pure elation rendering him dizzy.  _Stop_. 

He paused a few feet above ground, panting. The air beneath him pushed upwards against his body, the resistance allowing him to rest in mid-air as the book had. "I did it," he whispered, one of his unshed tears finally rolling down his cheek. "I did it."

"I told you it wasn't that hard." 

Dipper looked down at Bill, that  _asshole_ , standing below him, smirking. Like an asshole. "You're an asshole," Dipper said flatly. "I can't express that enough."

The criticism was either accepted or actively appreciated. "But it was effective, was it not?" 

"Shut up." Dipper snapped. He couldn't tell if he was pissed off or overjoyed at his new ability. Probably a bit of both. "Jerk." 

An intense wave of exhaustion rippled through him, breaking his concentration and sending him tumbling into the demon's arms. The dizziness was now overwhelming; he'd clearly overdone it. His eyes slipped shut, and with the last bit of energy he had left Dipper shifted to lay his head against Bill's chest. The heartbeat beneath was artificial, but it was a heartbeat all the same. 

"I'm proud of you, Pine Tree," he heard Bill croon, followed by the soft brush of lips on his forehead. 

As sleep overtook him, Dipper decided he wasn't mad anymore. 

 


End file.
